Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a control method thereof, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a wireless communication function is provided not only in mobile personal computers (so-called notebook PCs), but also in various other apparatuses including printers, mobile information terminals, digital cameras, mobile telephones, and smartphones. Especially, an increase in apparatuses that comply with such standards as Wi-Fi Direct® and Bluetooth® has made inter-apparatus connection easier. For example, Wi-Fi Direct enables apparatuses to operate as wireless LAN access points or wireless LAN stations, and thus does not require access points to be prepared separately; this has made inter-apparatus connection easier.
With an increase in peripheral apparatuses that are capable of wireless communication, it becomes necessary to search for a connection partner from a list of many apparatuses with communication capabilities, and selection of a desired apparatus becomes no longer easy. In view of this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-101231 suggests a technique to facilitate selection of an apparatus serving as a connection destination when Bluetooth® is used, by searching for peripheral apparatuses capable of wireless communication and reordering the searched apparatuses in a list based on the strengths of signals received from the searched apparatuses (in ascending order of distances to the searched apparatuses).
Meanwhile, if the services provided by peripheral apparatuses can be specified, an apparatus search can be made based on the services, that is to say, a more efficient apparatus search/selection can be made. Wi-Fi Direct provides a function of searching for the services provided by peripheral apparatuses (a service discovery function) as an optional function, and thus enables acquisition of information of the services provided by peripheral apparatuses before executing processing for connecting to individual apparatuses.
However, it is assumed that, even in a case where an apparatus serving as a connection destination is selected using such a service discovery function, the selection becomes no longer easy with an increase in the number of apparatuses that support similar services. Furthermore, for example, apparatuses that provide services of the same type, such as print services, may offer different levels of user-friendliness pertaining to the print services. In view of this, improved convenience can be offered to a user if the user can easily select a desired apparatus, for example, an apparatus that the user is familiar with or an apparatus that the user has used before, from among apparatuses that provide a predetermined service. Furthermore, it is assumed that improved convenience can be offered similarly if the services provided by peripheral connectable apparatuses can be easily grasped.